Serious Violent Victimization Highest During The Summer, BJS Says

By |June 18, 2014

The rates of serious violent victimization, including rape, and sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault, were significantly higher during the summer than during other seasons, the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in an analysis of crime by season. Looking at crime data between 1993 and 2010, BJS said winter rates of serious violence were about six percent lower than summer rates, and rates for spring (5 percent lower) and fall (3 percent lower) were also under summer rates.

BJS said rates of household larceny and burglary also were usually higher in the summer, with differences between the highest and lowest seasonal rates less than 11 percent. Aggravated assault was higher during the summer, but simple assault was higher during the fall. Intimate partner violence also was highest in the summer. Rates were about 12 percent lower in the winter, 6 percent lower in the spring, and 9 percent lower in the fall. Unlike other violent crimes, there was little difference in robbery rates among the seasons. The analysis was based on data in BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey.

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